BROADBAND. THE Federal government is committing billions of dollars to it. More than 22,000 hits on Google News for a single month proves the media can’t stop writing about it. And if you live anywhere in small-town America, no doubt lots of people want it. But why has broadband become the hot topic among techies and non-techies alike?

Most Americans feel broadband — high-speed Internet access — has moved from the category of “nice-to-have” to “must-have,” according to recent research. People who have broadband access in their homes likely consider their high-speed connection just as important as any other utility they use.

But in far too many areas of the United States, broadband is still nonexistent. People in rural areas often have no broadband access and their opportunities for a better life are diminished because of it. With the government making broadband a top priority backed with significant funding, interest in this long-simmering need is boiling over.

A portion of the stimulus package signed into law earlier this year provides $7.2 billion for the purpose of closing the digital divide between those areas where broadband is easily accessible and those regions where broadband is difficult — or impossible — to obtain.

But national policy makers and local advocates must also address the broadband needs of local businesses. In economically troubled times, small businesses are crucial to job growth and recovery. They collectively hire the most people and profitable small businesses shore up the tax base.

For small business owners and entrepreneurs in rural communities, broadband is a game changer. This technology enables them to expand beyond their local neighborhoods to access new customers around the globe.

Broadband increases local opportunities as well, bringing profit-generating improvements to business operations, such as inventory management and marketing communications that can allow the smallest firms to compete with the largest. These businesses must have broadband to compete for talent on the same basis as companies in the tech corridors near Washington, Boston or San Francisco.

Addressing the broadband needs of businesses in unserved areas is important not only to ensure they receive their fair share of stimulus funding, but also in developing the national broadband strategy that the Federal Communications Commission is due to release early next year.

Recently I was honored with an invitation to be a panelist for an FCC workshop — hosted to encourage experts to weigh in on critical issues determining the best path to universal broadband access — addressing small business in small towns and rural communities.

This was a good opportunity to present insights and lessons I’ve learned from much research into small businesses’ broadband needs, but I also came away with an important observation of the FCC’s process itself: local input must be a central element of both the development and implementation of this national strategy to guarantee that local needs are truly met.

At this moment, we have an unprecedented opportunity to shape the direction of a technology that promises to transform how we work, live and play. High-speed Internet access in unserved areas is about creating better schools, more efficient government, effective health care delivery, a workforce adequately prepared for a digital economy and a business community reaping great benefits from our digital economy. That’s why broadband is the talk of the town.

Craig Settles is an Internet Innovation Alliance Broadband Ambassador and the founder and president of Oakland-based Successful.com.

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